Instrument board



H; BERNARD ET AL INSTRUMENT BOARD Filed March 28, 1951 11V WIVIUH/YI Harry Ballard and Balm 15301100,

G ln-+zLi ATTORNEY/5 Patented Dec. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY BERNARD AND BUNNY V. RONCO, F ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNORS TO INTERNATIONAL MOTOR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE INSTRUMENT BOARD Application filed March 28, 1931. Serial No. 525,888.

The present invention relates to instrument boards for motor vehicles and embodies, more specifically, an improved instrument board for carrying electrical instruments from which wires extend to various points upon the body and chassis of the vehicle. To facilitate the wiring of the vehicle during the assembly thereof, provide accessibility for wiring and instruments, and insure good workmanship together with a decrease in the time required for completing the vehicle, the present invention has been designed.

It is a matter of common knowledge that, in accordance with existing practice, the wiring of a motor vehicle requires a considerable amount of time and careful attention. The lengths of wire (much greater than necessity to reach the instrument board) are left upon the chassis at the front end thereof, the fin- '20 ishing department completing the wiring after the vehicle comes out of the paint shop.

Completion of the wiring is done while the vehicle is on the finishing line by a man who sits on a box with the fuse block and instrument panel on his knees. The wires are fed through an opening in the. instrument board, a sufiicient length thereof being left to permit the Wiring to extend through the opening to the workmans lap. The excess length of wire required is jammed behind the instrument panel and the complicated nature of the Wiring frequently gives rise to careless work and disastrous results. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to place each wire in its final position and there therefore results a considerable opportunity for short circuits to occur.

The instrument panel of the present invention, as distinguished from the foregoing construction, permits a maximum amount of bench work to be done leaving only a very limited assembly operation to be done after the vehicle comes from the paint shop. It is proposed to provide a fuse block which is formed of an upper and lower piece, each having, respectively, the upper and lower fuse clips. The wires from the body to the panel may thus be secured to the lower fuse block and this may be done'on the bench, the 50 clips of the upper fuse block likewise being secured to the respective instruments. Upon completion of the vehicle, the upper and lowerblocks are secured together and the fuses inserted in the clips.

An object of the invention, accordingly, is to provide an improved instrument board or panel of such character as to facilitate the manufacture and servicing thereof, the construction being adapted to facilitate the inspection and replacement of faulty parts of the system.

Further objects, not specifically enumerated above, will be apparent as the invention is described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a. view in front elevation, showing an instrument board constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a. view in side elevation, showing the board'of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in front elevation, partly broken away in the interest of clearness, and showing the removable instrument panel carried by the main board.

Figure 5 is a. segmental enlarged view of a portion of the lower fuse block.

Figure 6 is a view in end elevation showing the lower fuse block.

Figure 7 is a View in front elevation, showing a portion of the upper fuse block.

Figure 8 is an end elevation showing the upper fuse block of Figure 7 Referring to the above drawings, an instrument board is shown at 10, being formed in the desired manner and of the desired design.

This board is provided with an opening 11 rearwardly of which opening a housing 12 is secured to receive the electrical instruments carried by a removable instrument panel 13. This removable panel may be secured to the main board by means of screws 14, the panel 13 thus being readily removed.

A door 15 is hinged at 16 upon a longitudinal axis and upon the removable panel 13. This door facilitates inspection and removal of fuses and further facilitates the servicing of the panel.

Brackets 17, carried by the panel 13, are

' adapted to support an upper fuse block 18 which is provided with clips 19 to which the instruments are connected.- 7

The brackets 17 are also adapted to mount lower fuse blocks 20 which are provided with lower fuse clips 21 to cooperate with the corresponding upper clips. Screws 22 and 23,- respeetively, secure the'upper and lower fuse blocks to position and dowel pins 24 chassis and body extend to be connected to the lower fuse blocks;

the foregoing, it will be seen that th wires from the chassis and body may be conveniently connected to the lower fuse block in the has before the vehicle enters the paint shop and after the vehicle leaves the paint shop the lower fuse block may be secured to the bracket 1'? and in operative relationship with the upper fuse block, the closure 27 then being applied. The wiring of the instruments and the connection thereof to the upper fuse block is completed on the bench and the removable panel 13 secured to the instrument Qoard 10 as clearly described. This operation, of course, precedes that of securing the lower fuse block 20 in place. i

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a considerable amount of labor is saved in perfecting the electrical connections forthe'vehicle and the instrument panel bearing the instruments and fuses, etc., may be removed readily for inspection and repair. In fact, the vehicle may be conveniently serviced by removing a faulty panel and inserting a replacement unit for the panel. Not only does the foregoing construction facilitate. replacement and repairof the units, but the testing thereof is greatly facilitated in view of the fact that'all of the circuits are accessible and be readily rung out. Upon discovering a faulty instrument or connection, the in strument panel and fuse blocks may be removed and taken to the bench for more con- 'venient and accurate repair.

l Vliile the invention has been described with specific reference to the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited, save as defined in the appended-claims.

We claim as our invention: V 1. An instrument board having a recess therein, the walls of the recess forming a housing, a-removable panel carried'by the board and adapted to be secured thereto adjacent the recess, said removable panel being adapted to receive electrical instruments, a fuse block comprising upper and lower sections having cooperating fuse clips, means to secure the sections togethen'means to mount the sections on the removable panel adjacent the lower portion and rearwardly thereof, and a removable cover cooperating with the lower portion of the housing and enclosing the fuse block. p

2. An instrument board having a recess therein, the walls of the recess forming a housing, a removable panel carried by the board and adapted to be secured thereto adjacent the recess, said removable panel being adaptedto receive electrical instruments, a fuse block comprising upper and lower sec tions having cooperating'fuse clips, meansto secure the sections together, means to mount the sections on the relnov ablefpanel, adjacent the lower portion and ,rearwardlythereof, a removable cover cooperating with the lower portion of the housing and enclosing the.

fuse block, and a hinged door on the lower tate inspection of the fuse block and fuses. This specification signedthis 9th. day of March, A. D. 1931. i

. 1 HARRY BERNARD.

BUNNY "v, BONGO. j p

extremity of the removable panel to facili- 

